‘Let them play’: Longtime teacher says today’s kindergarten standards are out of control

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/teacher-says-kindergarten-too-hard-ex1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teacher-says-kindergarten-too-hard-ex1

Computing: School Era

My first regular Apple usage I can remember well was the IIgs lab at Monroe Elementary in 1st grade, a then brand new space that was part of the new library addition to the building. It was the only Snow White design language Mac I used with any regularity; that’s a style I love. Being in Minnesota in the ’90s the MECC games, including Oregon Trail, were a staple. (I think this was mostly the full color version, although I remember the later Mac version more clearly.)

I switched to Breck for 2nd grade, and they had mostly solidly brown Apple IIes, some set up in the library up on an upper level balcony. I don’t remember having any use of a BASIC environment on these machines. In addition to MECC learning games I have a clear memory of using Writing and Publishing Center to make documents, among them a list of my favorite translations from The Klingon Dictionary. (I was really establishing my brand.)

After 3rd grade, school switched to Macs, upgrading to LCIIs in the lab and adding one to most classrooms. This was also my first exposure to HyperCard (more on that later) as our science curriculum that year involved collecting weather data and inputting it into a custom stack to track trends. Using Macs regularly at school completely changed how I experienced computers, even if sometimes I was just setting the Number Munchers high score on every lab machine (again, on brand) as I waited for my dad (then a substitute and tutor) to finish work at the school. Sadly no pictures of me using a computer at school either.

Sometime in here I got the DOS version of Star Trek: 25th Anniversary but it required at least a 286 which our PC didn’t have. I somehow convinced my grandma to let me install it on the point of sale computer at her shop (an early foray into computer security?) so I could try it, but I never got past the first mission.

In 5th grade we had a gym unit (I guess this is where it fit the schedule?) where we spent a few weeks trying to learn touch typing. It was the traditional home row method, and for testing they actually had some old Apple IIe case lids that they’d place over our hands so we couldn’t see. I never got the hang of it officially but by the end of high school I was doing ten finger hover touch typing around 90 wpm, just from writing a lot of assignments.

By the time 6th grade rolled around, we were expected to hand in more typewritten assignments. The school also got a network and file sharing for the first time (external internet was still limited). I definitely felt a little left behind turning in old dot matrix printouts with three fonts (regular, italic, or bold) as it seemed like everyone else had more modern inkjet with all the formatting they could want! Some of my friends started getting Macs at home as well, with features like CD-ROMs and video and early 3D games and music playback. My FOMO would soon end…

#AlfredME - Alfred #ElementarySchool #NatureHike

0.8mi Length
36ft Elevation gain
0.5–1hr Estimated time, Out & back

"This short trail starts in the parking lot of the elementary school. There is an #OutdoorClassroom, #VernalPonds, and #swale. Small bridges have been built over wet areas. There are small signs with information about the natural environment. Although there are blue blazes on trees, the trail is not easy to follow as it gets further from the school."

FMI:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maine/alfred-elementary-school-nature-hike

#SolarPunkSunday #SpendTimeInNature #SpendTimeOutdoors #NatureHikes #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime #NatureBasedLearning

I saw this on the local news today... 177 acres of woods!!! WTF! Gorham Sand and Gravel doesn't care about environmentally sensitive areas, or areas with children! They pushed to get mining in nearby #LimingtonME, despite the objections of the residents (and it being next to a State of Maine Nature Preserve)!

Neighbors in #AlfredME discuss controversial quarry proposal

by Julia Simone,WGME
Tue, April 7, 2026

ALFRED (WGME) - "Alfred residents said they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, voicing frustration to the town’s planning board Monday night over plans for a new quarry in their neighborhood.

"The entrance and exit of the proposed quarry would be off of Route 202 in Alfred and the site would be 177 acres.

"#GorhamSandAndGravel are the developers behind the project."

[...]

"If constructed, developers say the project would involve blasting and dozens of dump trucks operating six days a week.

"But the project was put on hold last summer after residents in the area voiced concerns about noise, dust, and environmental impacts.

"Now, the potential quarry and the concerns are back.

" 'The noise, the fly rock, the #SilicaDust, and we have an #ElementarySchool that is 1.6 miles away,' Alfred resident Ralph Dean said.

" 'Gorham Sand and Gravel is willing to risk our safety to make money, our kids safety, our families safety, our community's safety, and safety should never come second,' Alfred resident Shannon Stevens said.

"Another resident says a third-party review revealed holes in the quarry plan that haven't been addressed.

" 'These big company they take advantage of these small towns that don’t have good strong ordinances and a professional planning board. These guys are all volunteers and it’s a lot,' Alfred resident Lauren Carroll said."

Read more:
https://wgme.com/news/local/neighbors-in-alfred-discuss-controversy-quarry-proposal

#NoisePollution #MainePol #Mining #ProtectTheForest #Pollution

"Ownership of Time Is Learned Early"

With the advent of neoliberalism in the 1980s, the mission of public education has become more about preparing for life in the workforce rather than preparing for life fulfilled by freedom and happiness. The state shapes working class consciousness rather than the other way around. It's time to change that.

Source: https://take-note.com/note-takers/marshall--mayer/notes/ownership-of-time-is-learned-early/view

#authenticphotography #education #elementaryschool #lifelonglearning #ownership #publicschool #workingclass

Mom explains how her 1st grader’s second-day of homework already crushed his spirit

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/way-too-much-homework-ex1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=way-too-much-homework-ex1